Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 83709

Zip code 83709 in Boise, Idaho, is served by two public middle schools: Lake Hazel Middle School (grades 6–8) and West Junior High (grades 7–9). These schools have similar enrollment sizes and nearly identical poverty levels, but they are on very different academic paths. Lake Hazel is the clear standout, ranking 40th out of 174 Idaho middle schools (77th percentile, 4 stars) and outperforming state averages in math, English language arts, and science. It has steadily improved from 52nd to 44th to 40th over the past three years. Lake Hazel also shows increasing proficiency from 6th to 8th grade, with 8th-grade math at 60.6% and ELA at 66.2%. Its home district, Joint School District No. 2, ranks 12th of 101 districts, making it a top-tier environment.

West Junior High, by contrast, sits in the bottom third of Idaho schools, ranking 117th out of 174 (33rd percentile, 2 stars), despite spending roughly 47% more per student ($9,693 vs. $6,611) and having a slightly better student-teacher ratio than Lake Hazel. It falls below state averages in every subject, and its 8th-grade science proficiency is just 32.2% versus Lake Hazel’s 60.5% — a gap of over 28 percentage points. West Junior also shows a troubling decline from 7th to 8th grade, with math dropping from 47.4% to 34.6% and ELA from 52.1% to 45.3%. Its district, Boise Independent District, ranks mid-tier at 41st of 101, but West Junior still performs well below that district average.

The most surprising finding is that West Junior has lower chronic absenteeism (15.8%) than Lake Hazel (18.4%), yet still lags academically — meaning attendance alone does not explain the gap. Since both schools serve similar shares of students eligible for free/reduced-price lunch (37–39%), poverty differences are not the main driver either. Lake Hazel’s upward trajectory and West Junior’s volatility suggest that school-level practices, curriculum, and instructional quality matter more than spending or class size. For parents, Lake Hazel stands out as the stronger, more consistent choice, while West Junior warrants a closer look at why its resources and attendance are not translating into achievement.